Be A Superhero
by MissingMommy
Summary: Melody's birth in a universe without the Doctor. :: Amy/Rory, for Saffie


For Saffie

..

In a different universe, Rory isn't there for his daughter's birth. He is there in this one, though. It's fourteen hours of hard labor, of Amy squeezing Rory's hand too tight as she curses him. And the only thing that Rory can think is that his beautiful wife is bringing their child into the world and happiness brims in his heart.

He places kisses on her forehead in between contractions and feeds her ice chips when she demands it. There's nowhere else in the world Rory would rather be than beside Amy. A different Rory will always wonder what it would be like to hold Amy's hand during labor, but _this_ Rory doesn't have to. He hands hurts from her tight grip but he doesn't complain.

He's there to hear the first cries of his daughter unlike so many of his counterparts. It's loud but it's a sign of life. She is tiny and squishy and is placed safely in Amy's tired arms. "Melody Pond," she whispers to the baby, stroking her cheek. "My Melody." Amy looks up at Rory, with stars in her eyes, stars that she's never truly seen, and she smiles.

There are Melody Williams, in other universes, the ones without the Doctor and a blue box that is bigger on the inside, with Amys that doesn't know how to help others, but _this_ Amy, she reads the newspaper to find people to help and things to do and adventures to go on. This Amy convinces her Rory to name their child Melody Pond; a name fitting of a superhero, not a geography teacher.

After a few moments, Amy offers Melody up with a tired, beautiful smile before closing her eyes. Rory takes her in his arm ever so carefully and marvels at her, crying in this universe as he does in every universe. He thought he loved Amy but his love for her pales in comparison to his love for Melody.

Other Melodys hear reassurances that their fathers are coming, but _this_ Melody doesn't need that because she's safe with her parents. This Melody hears, "I love you," from her father with her own ears.

The nurse comes in to wake up Amy as Rory holds Melody like she is the most precious thing in the world. To him, she is. Rory is forced to give little Melody back to Amy so the nurse can walk her through breastfeeding. In the minutes that she's gone from his arm, his world seems to fall sideways. Not shattered like when the other Melody turns out to be a fake. But he knows that nothing is going to take her away from them.

When Melody is done eating, she stares up at Amy with wide eyes that he hopes darken to mimic Amy's. Rory presses a kiss to the top of Melody's head before doing the same to his wife. "Thank you," he whispers softly, "for this, for her."

The nurse is replaced by her parents and his. Grandparents get to meet Melody this time. Grandparents will know her, will watch her grow, will spoil her and show her love. In other universes, Amy and Rory will grieve the loss of their child quietly, together, without grandparents to know because it was easier that way.

Amy's father is as loud and happy as ever as her mother tries to shush him. His voice causes Melody to cry for the second time. Amy's mother quickly takes Melody from Rory's arms to rock her gently. He watches as she gets Melody to stop crying. He catalogs the gentle sway back and forth of Amy's mother to ensure he can calm his daughter later.

Melody gets passed from arms to arms. She falls asleep in his mother's arms - "I have a knack for making babies fall right to sleep," she says matter-of-factly. "If only that worked for you." - and Rory is amazed by how easily one little girl has changed his life in just one day.

Amy snores peacefully as his mother passes back a sleeping Melody to Rory. They disappear out the door, leaving the new family alone. "Hello sweetie," he murmurs to her as he sits in the chair, staring down at her happily. "Be like your Mum. Be brave and adventurous and smart, but remember to be kind. She may not seem kind at first glance, but she has a heart of gold underneath that tough exterior."

He kisses the top of Melody's head again. "Be the superhero your Mum wants you to be."

He glances at Amy and laughs lightly. "Or you know, you don't have to be a superhero," he corrects himself. "You can be whatever you want - astronaut, fighter, archeologist. As long as it makes you happy. That's all I want for you: to be happy and loved." Because in this universe, she can be whatever she wants; she's not taken and molded and twisted into a weapon to kill an impossible man with an even more impossible blue box.

This Melody isn't a weapon; she's their peace.


End file.
